'We Have To Advocate For Ourselves': PG County Doctor Fights For Cancer Care

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — After a Prince George's County physician fought to get the mammogram she needed, and then conquered her fear to beat breast cancer, she was determined to bring top-tier health care to her patients.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and women everywhere are reminded to schedule their mammograms if they haven't already. Dr. Tom-meka Archinard, who serves as senior vice president and chief medical officer at University of Maryland Capital Region Health in Largo, knows all too well the fear that accompanies receiving a breast cancer diagnosis. But she didn't let that fear swallow her up. She fought back.

As a breast cancer survivor, Archinard diagnosed herself on her birthday, June 17, 2013.

"I always think of my birthday as my re-birthday, the day my life changed forever," Archinard told Patch. "I felt a mass on my right breast and, believe it or not, I'm a doctor and I said, 'Oh my God, what am I going to do. Who do I talk to?' Especially in the Black community, there's a lot of fear with a diagnosis like this."

As a physician and a regional director for an emergency medicine company at the time, Archinard had no idea where to start and who to speak with about her discovery. So she kept her self-diagnosis to herself.

"I worried about what my employer would say if I had surgery and chemo - would I still have a job? Would they let me go? What about my family? I have kids. They'll suffer. I didn't think about me. I thought about all the potentially bad things that could happen. Then I said, 'I have to face this'," Archinard said.

Breast cancer is the second-deadliest cancer women face behind lung cancer. This year alone, more than 43,000 women will die of breast cancer and more than 355,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, according to the Susan. G. Komen organization.

Entitled to a mammogram

While Archinard wrestled with her diagnosis, she had nightmares about everything she would go through and the effect it would have on her family, her career. She finally reached the point where she marched into the nearest hospital and said she wanted a mammogram. She shared with Patch that she learned along her journey that legally, women have the right to receive a mammogram.

"The receptionist at the hospital said I'd need a referral. I said, 'I know my rights. I can ask for a mammogram and a copy of the films and take them where I want.' She got on the phone and then told me, 'Fine,'" Archinard said.

Being a physician, she looked at the film herself and quickly realized she was facing an uphill battle.

"I knew it was not a good situation and that was corroborated by the radiologist who came to me and said I needed a biopsy. I remember having trouble taking time off from work just so I could get the biopsy. One person stepped up and said, 'I'll stay one more day.' It was that person's last day on the job. I had to keep this all a secret because I didn't want to worry my family. I was worried enough," Archinard said.

Mistakes happen and her first biopsy came back negative, which she knew was wrong. The radiologist called her and said he didn't think he got a good enough sample and it needed to be performed again, this time as a core biopsy.

"It not only hurt, but a piece of my dignity left. It's a cold metal table with two holes for your breasts to dangle through," Archinard said.

The core biopsy came back positive, confirming her cancer diagnosis. She had an MRI next and that revealed more than just one mass in her breast. She was diagnosed as Stage 2, ER+PR+HER2-, meaning her cancer was hormone receptor positive. Archinard was assigned an oncologist and a breast surgeon and began her battle.

"I knew I would have to have a mastectomy and decided to have a double. My reasoning was that if you don't have breast tissue, your risk of reoccurrence drops. I asked if it was possible to do the mastectomy and breast reconstruction at the same time, but that would delay the start of chemotherapy as I'd need time to heal from the surgery, at least two or three additional months. I didn't want to wait, as I couldn't justify letting the cancer spread just for reconstruction. I meditated every night and got ready to start chemo," Archinard said.

Chemo while moving

Her surgery was performed in New York, followed by her first round of chemotherapy. She had a Neulasta shot, which is designed to help prevent infection in people with certain cancers who are receiving chemotherapy, then packed up her family and belongings in a U-Haul truck and moved to Alabama to start a new job.

"For me, mentally, it was important to live like I was going to live afterward. I had a new job waiting and wasn't going to delay that. So we moved. We transferred my chemo down there and I didn't miss a session," Archinard said.

While setting up in their new home town, Archinard ran into a local TV celebrity who had survived breast cancer and hosted an annual walk in the fight against breast cancer. The TV celebrity offered to introduce Archinard to the scientists conducting research on genetics and medication.

"I toured the facility and they mentioned a test where you swab your cheek and it will tell you if you metabolize certain medications. We learned that I didn't metabolize Tamoxifen, which is a cancer drug I would've taken that would've done absolutely nothing to help me. So I went to my doctor with that information, who said he didn't know what to do with it, but I did. I was put on an aromatase inhibitor instead," Archinard said.

Advocate for yourself

Archinard emphasized that all patients need to be a "driver of your own resilience and safety," to gather all the information you can and push for answers.

"At the time, I was 41 years old and still had my ovaries that were making estrogen. I told my doctor that I wanted them removed. He told me the side effects of having my ovaries removed is that I would go into abrupt menopause with horrible hot flashes. I said, 'Let me get this straight. Hot flashes or a reoccurrence of cancer and potential death. I'll go with hot flashes.' So I advocated for myself," she said. "As patients, we have to advocate for ourselves."

After finishing chemo, surgeries and a treatment plan with the aromatase inhibitor, Archinard decided to focus on her health. The aromatase inhibitor had caused pain in her hands and feet, plus she had gained weight from her medication. So she started running.

"I actually ran a 10K. I've lost all the weight, I've gotten over all the pain. It's been transformational for me," she told Patch.

Archinard noted that Prince George's County residents have not historically had access to the information they need to make health decisions. She aims to change that at the UM Capital Region Health Cancer Center.

"This is personal. It's the worst diagnosis. It feels like death. You think about what you're going to miss. The heartbreak your loved ones will experience. I realized I needed to create a will. But I wasn't giving in to death. Now in 2024, we're going to have the opportunity to create something for this community. You don't have to leave your home community to figure out where to go for treatment. Cancer care will be looked at in totality here. We're bringing in new technology and we have fellowship-trained breast surgeons on staff."

Early detection is key

Archinard emphasized that if breast cancer is caught early, a patient can survive. Her mother was diagnosed in 2018 with Stage 4 breast cancer. She moved from Louisiana to Maryland to be with her daughter for end-of-life care.

"I was fortunate I could hold her in my arms as she took her last breath. She went through my journey with me, and I did the same with her. Where she lived, the services she needed weren't attainable. If it had been caught earlier, she maybe could've lived longer. Stage 4 diagnoses shouldn't be happening. I genuinely believe we will save lives at our cancer center and offering additional care for Prince Georgians," Archinard said.

While some women fear getting a mammogram because of what the results might be, Archinard reminds them that early detection saves lives.

"Let's start with self exams. Then mammograms. You have the power and the ability to make decisions about your health," she said. "We can win this battle."